FIRST PROTOTYPE SKETCH- Feb 2014
by: Amy Appleman of Dafoe Designs
Boardz N' Bagz • Jeffersonville, IN
About HundoBall!...
• History
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The idea for HundoBall! conceived in the Fall of 2013 while watching an episode of Shark Tank. As a skee-ball league operator, I was trying to imagine an outdoor equivalent to skeeball with the simplicity of cornhole. Something that I could use to for social leagues during the all too brief, but glorious, Chicago summer. I did some searching on Google and found plenty of games similar to my idea, but nothing to the extent of what I was imagining. I didn't want holes drilled in a board. I wanted a larger, imposing base with a steeper, 45 degree incline. I didn't want of bean-bags just landing on a board, I wanted bean-bag balls you could toss through skeeball-esque point holes or catch on rim so gravity becomes your opponent. I described my vision to my art teacher girlfriend (now wife! - very nice) and BOOM- HundoBall was born!
• Manufacturing
Creating the first prototype was not easy. At first I tried to enlist a few handy wood-working buddies local to Chicago who'd expressed excitement around the idea. However, after several trips to Home Depot and costly failed attempts, it became clear that this project was going to need more of a professional touch.
Boardz N' Bagz
In the Spring of 2014 my father connected me with a business named Boardz N' Bagz, based in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Their parent company, The Simpson Co., had done the hardwood floors in his house and he remembered them having a sister business who specialized in producing high quality cornhole boards. After several meetings and months of planning and preparation, two beautiful, furniture-quality prototypes were born.
• Next Steps
Creating HundoBall! was the first step in a much larger goal. We are looking to test, refine and perfect not only gameplay, but the physical board itself. We'd like to create a travel version for "John Q tailgater", and have hopes that one day HundoBall will be a popular outdoor recreational activity across the country. Doing that is going to take some help. We still exploring our options and looking to do a KickStarter campaign sometime in the near future. This would help us not only in protecting the intellectual property of the game, but also to explore different manufacturing processes and materials to lower production costs and scale. We've got a long way to go, but hope you'll join us for the ride!
- Mike Fraser
HundoBall! Creator
(Written circa 2015)